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DEPARTMENT of National Defense secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Tuesday said that he will endorse the extension of martial law in Mindanao to President Rodrigo Duterte, adding that he already took the recommended one-year extension of the Armed...

MANILA, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Friday that China's wish to complete talks on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea in three years is "a good sign" and "good news." During the latest China-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit in Singapore last month, China said it hopes to complete talks on the COC in the...

THE BELLS ARE HOME. President Rodrigo Duterte raises a clenched fist as he rings one of the three Balangiga church bells during a ceremony in Balangiga in Eastern Samar province yesterday, as Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana looks on. The sleepy central Philippine town of Balangiga erupted in joy on December 15 as bells looted from its church more than a century ago by...

THE military and defense establishments will “study” President Rodrigo Duterte’s proposal to form “sparrow” units against the New People’s Army (NPA), Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Wednesday but warned of “great danger of abuse or mistakes” if this will be carried out. “We will study it very closely. Who will compose it,...

THE head of the Davao City-based Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom) is in the front line to replace Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr. as military chief of staff, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Wednesday. Lt. Gen. Benjamin Madrigal Jr. is “number one” on the list of recommendees, Lorenzana said after the Board of Generals (BOG) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...

Philippine rebels declare holiday truce; government says won\'t be fooled Maoist rebels in the Philippines declared a ceasefire on Friday for the Christmas and New Year holidays, but the government said it would not be fooled into joining the truce,,, Guerrillas from the Communist Party of the Philippines have been battling government forces for 50 years, in one of Asia’s longest-running insurgencies,,, The party said in a statement it would suspend attacks on the military from Dec,,, 24 to Dec,,, 26 “in unity with the Filipino people’s observance of traditional holidays”,,, Most people in the Philippines are Christian,,, The rebels also declared a New Year ceasefire from Dec,,, 31 to Jan,,, 1,,, But Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana rejected the offer, saying that for the first time in 30 years, the government would not suspend offensive military operations over the holidays,,, “We’re fooling ourselves
about this ceasefire,” Lorenzana told reporters,,, “What for? To give them freedom to regroup and to refurbish so that after the ceasefire, we’ll be fighting again,,,” Military spokesman Brigadier General Edgard Arevalo said government forces did not want to give the rebels the opportunity to “propagandise”, and would not stop combat operations,,, The rebel forces, estimated to number 3,000 fighters, have been waging a guerrilla war in rural areas for nearly 50 years in a conflict that has killed more than 40,000 people,,, Rebel attacks have stifled growth in resource-rich areas in the poor Southeast Asian country as guerrillas target mines, plantations, construction and t...

Philippine rebels declare holiday truce; government says won\'t be fooled Maoist rebels in the Philippines declared a ceasefire on Friday for the Christmas and New Year holidays, but the government said it would not be fooled into joining the truce,,, Guerrillas from the Communist Party of the Philippines have been battling government forces for 50 years, in one of Asia’s longest-running insurgencies,,, The party said in a statement it would suspend attacks on the military from Dec,,, 24 to Dec,,, 26 “in unity with the Filipino people’s observance of traditional holidays”,,, Most people in the Philippines are Christian,,, The rebels also declared a New Year ceasefire from Dec,,, 31 to Jan,,, 1,,, But Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana rejected the offer, saying that for the first time in 30 years, the government would not suspend offensive military operations over the holidays,,, “We’re fooling ourselves
about this ceasefire,” Lorenzana told reporters,,, “What for? To give them freedom to regroup and to refurbish so that after the ceasefire, we’ll be fighting again,,,” Military spokesman Brigadier General Edgard Arevalo said government forces did not want to give the rebels the opportunity to “propagandise”, and would not stop combat operations,,, The rebel forces, estimated to number 3,000 fighters, have been waging a guerrilla war in rural areas for nearly 50 years in a conflict that has killed more than 40,000 people,,, Rebel attacks have stifled growth in resource-rich areas in the poor Southeast Asian country as guerrillas target mines, plantations, construction and t...

Philippine rebels declare holiday truce; government says won\'t be fooled Maoist rebels in the Philippines declared a ceasefire on Friday for the Christmas and New Year holidays, but the government said it would not be fooled into joining the truce,,, Guerrillas from the Communist Party of the Phil